The Camargue is the region in one of the largest river deltas in Europe. From [[Arles]] the river [[Rhone]] splits into the Grand Rhone and Petit Rhone. The area in and around here is the Camargue. Largely a protected area, it is flat, with almost as much water as land. Wildlife is abundant, paticularly birds and wild white horses. Salt is produced in great quantity from the vast number of saltflats and highly regarded locally. There are only two small towns, [[Saintes Maries de la Mer]] and [[Aigues Mortes]]. The terrain only allows for a few minor roads. Travel by boat might be more interesting, but the opportunity seems limited.

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The Camargue is the region in one of the largest river deltas in Europe. From [[Arles]] the river [[Rhone]] splits into the Grand Rhone and Petit Rhone. The area in and around here is the Camargue. Largely a protected area, it is flat, with almost as much water as land. Wildlife is abundant, paticularly birds and wild white horses. Salt is produced in great quantity from the vast number of saltflats and highly regarded locally. There are only two small towns, [[Saintes Maries de la Mer]] and [[Aigues Mortes]]. The terrain only allows for a few minor roads. Travel by boat might be more interesting, but the opportunity seems limited except for a trip from St Maries up the Petit Rhone for an hour or two.

==Talk==

==Talk==

Revision as of 14:02, 25 January 2013

La Camargue encompasses the Rhone River delta in the southeast of France. It is one of the best places in Europe for birdwatching; also great for biking and horse riding.

Cities

Other destinations

Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau - a series of lakes/scrapes which are home to many of the birds of the Camargue. The parc provides a good introduction to the native species.

To walk around the two sections takes about three hours, but the bird life on view will keep your attention and lengthen this time. Enthusiastic photographers could spend most of the day here.

Understand

The Camargue is the region in one of the largest river deltas in Europe. From Arles the river Rhone splits into the Grand Rhone and Petit Rhone. The area in and around here is the Camargue. Largely a protected area, it is flat, with almost as much water as land. Wildlife is abundant, paticularly birds and wild white horses. Salt is produced in great quantity from the vast number of saltflats and highly regarded locally. There are only two small towns, Saintes Maries de la Mer and Aigues Mortes. The terrain only allows for a few minor roads. Travel by boat might be more interesting, but the opportunity seems limited except for a trip from St Maries up the Petit Rhone for an hour or two.

Talk

Get in

Get around

See

Itineraries

Do

You can contact a local travel agency, like www.durand-tourisme-gard.com.
This agency organize trip around Cevennes (classified on the world heritage of UNESCO) and Camargue.

Sleep

Les Arnelles, (450m outside of the St-M-dl-M, on the left side of the road just after Le Pont Des Bannes hotel). Bar 8am to 11pm

Eat

Local specialty foods

Specialty foods of the Camargue include:

Bouillabaisse

Anchoïade

Anguilles au four

Gardiane de Taureau

Salade Camarguaise

Aubergines aux anchois et aux capres

Barbouillade d'artichauts

Brandade de Morue

Canard aux figues

Moules en Brasucado

Hachis camarguais

Fougasse d'Aigues Mortes

La Broufado

Finding a good dinner

When staying in a touristy city like Saintes Maries de la Mer, it can be difficult to find a place for a good dinner with anything beyond fried chips and over-grilled meat.

However, if you have a car, here are some tips for finding a good place serving local cuisine. Internet connection can help in your research. You should look for:

Restaurants out of town, even in remote locations. Minus the convenience factor of an in-town location, many countryside restaurants rely on local customers and fidelity to regional cuisine which attracts enough clientele despite remote location.

Menu that lists mostly or exclusively local specialties (see the list above)

Ferme Auberge (farm inn), an official government program. Members usually show good fidelity to local cuisine, though limited menu selection.

Membership in Conservatoire des Cuisines de Camargue, society for the preservation of true Camargue cuisine

Table d'hote (guest table), a kind of intimate restaurant. Often a bed and breakfast which prepares dinner with advance reservation. Don't confuse it with table d'hotes in a regular restaurant in a big city where it is more for solo diners to share a communal table--and more common at lunch.

Ask at the local tourist information office. They are not allowed to give opinions, but you can ask what restaurants serve local dishes in the list above or if there are any table d'hote or ferme auberge in the region.

Here are some restaurants that look promising per above recommendations as of Sept 2010 (although not tried hands-on by Wikitravelers yet):

Le Pont des Bannes, [2]. Very elegant. Hits every major local specialty and has almost nothing from outside the region on the menu.Dinner menus: starter+main+dessert: €43; starter+main: €36; main+dessert: 31; starter+dessert: 17.